MATCH INFO

Brazil rallies past Serbia to pocket top eight spot

Brazil during the national anthem and presentation of the teams

Lima, Peru, July 23, 2011 - In the second day of the FIVB Volleyball Women’s Junior World Championship Peru 2011, Brazil won over Serbia 3-1 (23-25, 25-15, 25-21, 25-18) in the Eduardo Dibos Coliseum at Lima. Both teams won their opening matches yesterday, playing Brazil against Italy (3-1) and Serbia against Cuba (3-0). The same teams played before in the 2009 FIVB Girls' Youth World Championship final, where Brazil defeated Serbia. With this winning, Brazil is now at the top of the Pool D with a spot guaranteed into the top eight.

The top scorer in Brazil was Sthefanie Paulino (21 points in the set), next to Samara Almeida (18 points in the game) and Gabriela Souza (12 points in the game). For Serbia the top scorer was Maja Savic (16 points in the set), next to Ana Bjelica (10 points in the game).

In the first set of the match, Serbia reached the first technical time out leading 8-6. After the next point of Serbia, Brazil head coach Luizomar de Moura seemed necessary to ask for a time out, but Brazilian players did not start well. Despite Brazil's efforts, they went close to the second technical time with a difference of four points and Serbia was ahead 16-12. When the score difference was of six points in favor or Serbia, Brazil asked again for a second time out. Brazil started to improve its score because of many mistakes that Serbians committed. In this point, the Serbia coach Ratko Pavlicevic asked for their first time out. Brazil's blocking was the key for the team to be close to the winning to 24-23. At this moment, Ana Beatriz Correa and Maja Savic led their team's score with five points each. However, Serbian team woke up and Jovana Stevanovic (five points) made a transition and closed the set to 25-23 in 29 minutes.

In the second set, the Brazilian game improved, but it was not enough in the beginning. At the first technical time, Serbia had the score to its favor 8-5 thanks to the Ljiljana Rankovic’s serve. Sthefanie Paulino (six points in the set) had great blocking and put her team in a tie score, and then with a serve, she pushed the score to 14-12. At the second technical time out, the service of Ana Beatriz Correa made the Brazilian team being ahead to 16-14. Juliana Carrijo made seven serves in a row at the close of a set that was defined with five mistakes in row from Serbia, one block and two transition attacks. The set ended 25-15 in 25 minutes.

The beginning of the third set appeared to be the same as the last one. Brazil recovered the score quickly thanks to the bad blocking of Serbia and the South American were ahead 5-2. Brazilian team reached the first technical time thanks to the service of Samara Almeida (8 points) to 8-5. Francynne Jacintho and Juliana Carrijo blocking was the insurance of the game for Brazil to 12-7. For the second technical time out, Brazilian team was ahead of the Europeans to 16-10. After that, Brazil committed a lot of mistakes that put Serbia 22-17. Serbia started to get close to Brazil in a 24-21 because of the mistake of Thais Saravia. At the end, Brazil took back the ball and Gabriela Souza (8 points in the set) defined the game thanks to her service and closed the set to 25-21 in 27 minutes.

In the fourth set, Brazil reaffirmed their led since the beginning. The South Americans were ahead 7-4 and they reached the first technical time out thanks to service of Ana Beatriz Correa (three points in the set). The game continued and the Europeans started to grow until reached a tie score, even though Paulino (six points in the set) tried to save the point. However, Brazilian's dig started to grow larger, and then the receiver Ivana Lukovic failed and reached the second technical time to 18-14. Paulino failed her fifth serve in a row and Serbia got their 16th point in the set. Brazil recovered the game after a mistake of the receiver Ana Bjelica. Since that moment, Brazil started to hang in and Carolina Freitas defined the set with an attack to 25-18 in 27 minutes.